1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to processes for the preparation of known anthracyline glycosides, including daunomycin, which glycosides are useful as antitumor agents.
2. The Prior Art
Belgian Pat. No. 830,090 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,878 describes a process for preparing diastereomeric mixtures of the present anthracycline glycosides which are separatable only through a long and tedious procedure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,988 (which is not part of the prior art) describes an alternative process which is a total synthesis of optically active anthracyclinones and which eliminates the lengthy separation procedure of the process of said Belgian patent. The present invention, as will be more fully explained below, is an improvement on both said prior processes.